The power of prayer and a thank you

November 20, 2014November 20, 201450 Comments

As you know from previous posts we have been experiencing some really difficult (for us) times. Higher insurance costs, lack of time for working on the mountain and most recently, Bob’s unemployment.

What you didn’t know is, that Bob has been lamenting his lack of time to enjoy our surroundings. Lack of time to go and get some work done on the mountain, and a seeming lack of energy to accomplish his desires even if he had the time. His lack of work has changed that. He has been getting more rest and feels more fit. Feeling better has given him the energy to get out and work both here and on the mountain. He really had only one other lament:

“If I go back to work, then I won’t have time to work on the mountain again. I would really like a 4 day work week so I could have Fridays off…”

The following is an interesting fact that you may not understand, but it is who we are. We are Seventh Day Adventists and keep the *Biblical Sabbath. This means we do not work from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Living here in the Bible Belt of the South means that most folks here work Saturday but never on Sunday, and this makes it a bit more difficult to find a job. However, it doesn’t make it impossible.

We have prayed about our wants and needs. Some of you have told me that you prayed and or sent good thoughts too.

Thank you!

We believe and have faith in the power of prayer, and guess what? Bob has a new job!

Details:

He starts in early January
He has a 4 day work week
They have a company insurance plan

As we have aged, he has also commented on the fact that all he knows about his craft will seemingly die with him. He is old school, in that he started on the shop floor and worked his way up over the years. He is a skilled metal worker, at a precision capacity, and with almost 40 years in the field he has a great desire to pass that on. Do you know how hard it is to find young people who want to learn a valuable and necessary craft? No one cares. Do you know how hard it is to find someone with even minimal math skill and who can read measurements on a ruler? It is scary out there folks…

To get this job Bob had to take their simple math test. In one of the questions he had to find some measurements on a ruler. There were examples of what the increments looked like and a ruler to find them on. The lady in the office said that many applicants can’t do it. (Note: I was teaching my 2nd graders to read a ruler!)

Part of Bob’s new job will be training the new staff how to run the equipment.

Having been unsatisfied at his old job, and being the proactive kind of guy he is, Bob had applied to this company (and others) almost a year ago and never heard anything back. Then a recruiter called him for a programmer’s job at the same company. He went in for the interview and was told that they had filled that position from within (good companies do that, BTW). However, as they talked he said he thought he’d made a good impression. By the end of the interview they said they were interested but weren’t sure exactly how they wanted use him.

Financially, this time off will be a strain, but physically and realistically it is a boon. We now have time to get some serious work done.

“We’re OK!”

😀

*In case you were wondering, I will share the following about my beliefs and without preaching:

The Biblical Sabbath is the fourth commandment given to the Israelites after their freedom from bondage in Egypt.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work …. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” —Ex. 20:8-11

We believe that the Ten Commandments were given to us as guidelines by God. So far as I know, all Christian faiths believe in them and use them as a guide for their daily living. However, the Seventh day Baptists and the Seventh day Adventists, among others, still keep the original intent of the fourth commandment; honoring the seventh day, Saturday, as the original Sabbath.

We also know from history that the Sabbath day was changed by Constantine On March 7, 321, to Sunday, the day of the sun, and it was declared an official day of Christian worship. However, don’t take my word for it. Look it up for yourself.

Some of you may wonder if I am a vegetarian. No, I am not. None of the original 10 commandments tell me I can’t eat meat. The tendency of members to abstain from meat is for health and was advised by Ellen White an early founder of our faith.

This is how I think, I make no claim on being right, but it sustains me. 🙂

Whatever…

September 12, 2014September 12, 201428 Comments

“Whatever doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.”

I saw this Someecard today and realized how many times I have uttered this phrase in my life.

Please click the card to go to Someecards and thank you, Kathy Wakile , for permission to use your work!

Lately, I have said it more than a few times and often under my breath. Bob too, I think, when he was paying all those Dr. Bills.

We are stronger now.

Two weeks ago I was still whining about my sore knee, and Bob was under the weight of all the bills rolling in. Then suddenly the bill pile was tamed, the mail coming in is mostly of the junk variety, and I can walk without limping… so long as I carry my flashlight with me in the dark when crossing the lawn. (Live and learn. 😉 )

From April to now it has been one thing after another.

Yet we kept our faith.

We are tired,

but we are strong.

**~*~**

When the going gets tough how do you cope?

**~*~**

Have a blessed weekend!

Right out of left field

October 28, 2013November 1, 201313 Comments

Some things defy description and Alice Cooper has always done so with verve. Recently I was stunned to find that he was a golf enthusiast, so imagine my surprise when I saw this on a fellow Christian’s blog!

I will reserve comment, but will be interested in yours!

~*~*~*~

Thank you Steve Rebus for sharing this video on your blog.

~*~*~*~

Now she tells me! http://isntso.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/go-ask-alice/

A rough beginning, but the day ends well

September 17, 2013September 17, 201323 Comments

We have scrimped and saved wherever we can to keep our costs to a minimum. To say that the Mountain Farmlet is costing us a mountain of cash, might sound scary to some, but we are managing and doing so much of the work ourselves. It feels intimidating, and to be honest overwhelming at times, but we have been researching and learning by doing and each time we tackle a new job at the old place we feel better equipped for the next bit that comes along.

Yesterday Bob left for work and then came back saying that his car transmission was acting funny. We took it into the transmission repair shop and got the verdict of $1,400.00 to rebuild it. We are not elated, but we will survive this too.

Now I am going to share with you some of our outlook on life. I have no intention for this to be preachy, so please don’t take it as such.

I mentioned to Bob that some people would look at what we are going through (car repair, our sick Little Dog expenses, hidden damage in the old farmhouse) and might think:

“God is punishing us.”

To which, after some deep thinking, he later replied:

“(paraphrased) You know some people would think that, but I believe he is preparing us and teaching us to live more frugally. Look at how much we are accomplishing by learning to do the work on our own. Yes, there are some projects we can’t do ourselves, but none of this is insurmountable. He is making us stronger, smarter and wiser.

We have always dreamed of living in the country and owning a bit of land, and this dream is becoming a reality. We are just having to work for it, and that is not such a bad thing. It will take us longer than we anticipated, but we will accomplish our dream.”

Today, after a parts delay, the construction of the new roof begins. It has to be done, it is expensive, but a sound roof will protect all our hard work on the inside. And while we have found some really rotten wood behind the walls in the kitchen and bath, we now have a brand new floor in the bathroom. We have also discovered that under the badly damaged sub-floor in the kitchen there are relatively new, and pristine beams to hold up the new flooring when we install it. That was a welcome surprise that will save us much labor and money.

As we worked away the day, and along our journey home, I took these photos to share with you. Be patient, they may take a moment to load…

: The light and pattern here facinated me. (Of course, your POV may differ!)

: What lies behind this patch in the outside wall?

: A little window who’s top only reaches to my waist!

: It is about 18 by 24 inches. I will repurpose it and my chickens shall have light!

: Massive oak planks 14 in. wide by over 8 ft. long. The fire explains the smoke and water damage on the outside wall in the previous picture. Even these will be repurposed, and have a future in my plans.

: Beauty is where you find it and depends a great deal on how you perceive it.

: An old cedar fence post and forgotten hand plow out front of the house.

: The days work done, we head out. What a lovely surprise we found at the side of the highway. The sun was a bit too harsh for a good view, but you get the idea.